The process of drilling a petroleum or other deep well involves complex interacting systems that include rock properties, drilling mechanics and fluid dynamics, interacting equipment and a material balance within changing geometries. The constituent processes have been investigated and modeled to more or less detail, as reported in a multitude of publications. Integrated models of the entire drilling system, however, are either limited in their capacities or restricted to the use of companies that developed the simulations.

The purpose of this thesis is to develop and describe the drilling process in enough detail to provide the conceptual skeleton and associated models for the development of an advanced drilling simulator. The conceptual skeleton includes a definition of scope of the simulation, data structures, and algorithms that process data for use in the models. These include tensile load models including torque and drag, hydraulic models including surge and swab, communication with the formations and cuttings transport, temperature models and bit progress models including wear. Models for surface equipment are not discussed in detail.

The thesis has a particular focus on the requirements of a teaching and research simulator to be developed at the Colorado School of Mines.